Held by ICE in Tacoma for weeks, tourist returns to UK

Paige Cornwell, The Seattle Times on Mar 18, 2025

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SEATTLE — A British tourist who had been in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Tacoma for nearly three weeks has reportedly been released and flown back to the United Kingdom.

Rebecca Burke, 28, arrived at London’s Heathrow Airport and was reunited with her friends and family, her father, Paul Burke, told BBC Wales in a story published Tuesday. Sky News, a British news channel, aired video of Burke hugging a group in the airport’s international arrivals area.

An ICE spokesperson confirmed Burke “was removed from the United States and repatriated to the United Kingdom March 18.”

Burke was detained at the Northwest ICE Processing Center “related to the violation of the terms and conditions of her admission,” an ICE spokesperson said last week in a statement.

Burke had been on a backpacking trip and tried to cross the U.S.-Canada border on Feb. 26, according to a Facebook post from her father. She was denied entry to Canada and was taken to the detention center after she tried to return to the United States.

Paul Burke, Burke’s father, had said she had “incorrect visa” paperwork. He told the BBC that Canadian authorities were concerned Rebecca would work illegally. Rebecca had occasionally helped with household chores in return for free lodging, Paul Burke told the British outlet.

A GoFundMe page set up to cover Burke’s legal costs generated about $12,000. Organizers wrote that any surplus money will be donated to charities in Seattle.